Gujarat Earthquake 2001- Reasons behind the loss of Property & Life.
The Gujarat earthquake 2001 was caused by a fault that ruptured deep in the Earth’s crust. The cause of the earthquake is the collision between the Indian plate and the Eurasian Plate. Stress from the Indian plate pushing north into the Eurasian plate is also a big cause for earthquake in Gujarat. Magnitude of that quake was 7.7 (6.9 on the Richter scale).
- Basic Facts
- Earthquake: 8:46am on January 26, 2001
- Epicenter: Near Bhuj in Gujarat, India
- Magnitude: 7.7 on the Richter Scale
- Geologic Setting
- Indian Plate Sub ducting beneath Eurasian Plate
- Continental Drift
- Convergent Boundary
- The main reason of the loss of life and the loss of property is instability of structures.
- The masonry wall, mainly in mud mortar.
- Absence of connecting band.
- No through stone were provided.
- Heavy mass concentration at roof level.
- Buildings were close to each other.
Building was not properly designed. The Size of reinforcement and column were not adequate even for gravity loads. These buildings are highly non-durable to earthquake as they have deficit detailing, inferior and these buildings are also built up by light reinforcement. The Over lap to all column bars are provided at critical point. The size of footing is insufficient for the structures, and the length provided for bars in column and beams are Insufficient. From this failure, structure engineers are confused whether the structure was designed or not. construction materials and the technology are the main reason of collapse of buildings. There were no lateral ties and stirrups were available at junction where there is large demand of confining steel. And the Over lap to all column bars were provided at critical point.
A stable structure helps to reduce the loss of life and property. It can be possible with the help of a proper structure design. Structural design is the methodical investigation of the strength, stability, and rigidity of structures. The major objective in the analysis of Structure and design is to produce a structure capable of resisting all applied loads without fail during its intended life. The Basic Requirements of a Building are strength and stability if the stability and strength of the building is high it could survive in every situation(earthquake,storm ,high wind pressure). These things are possible when we Design the various structural components like slabs, beams, walls, columns and footing should ensure safety. We design a Symmetric structure with Proper structural design and Proper detailing of rebar. We strictly followed IS codes for design a stable structure.